Changes in Society That Have Affected Aging and Culture 35

PEOPLE LIVE LONGER

People typically live longer now than they did only a generation or
two ago. To put it bluntly, 150 years ago people did not have to
worry as much about caring for elderly parents because their par-
ents did not live anywhere near as long as people live today. In fact,
only 100 years ago you yourself would probably not have lived as
long as you already have. As Robert N. Butler, M.D., president of
the International Longevity Center and professor of geriatrics at
the Mount Sinai Medical Center, writes in a foreword to the Con-
sumer Reports Complete Guide for Health Services for Seniors, “In
1900, the life span for most Americans was forty-seven,” but by
1999, “a full 80 percent of all deaths occurred after age sixty-five.”
There are many reasons for this change, most of them related to
modern medicine. Here’s a list of some of the most important
ones:

Infant mortality rates have dropped dramatically; many

more of us now survive birth and infancy.

We have eliminated the most deadly childhood diseases of
the past, such as polio and smallpox; many more of us now
survive childhood.

We have dramatically reduced the number of women’s
deaths during childbirth; many more of us now survive
pregnancy.

Diagnosis and treatment have been improved for chronic
conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes, and hyperten-
sion, all of which used to kill large numbers of people;
many more of us now survive into old age.

The poorest people used to simply starve to death, but
government-sponsored nutrition and health-care programs
are now available to assist them; many more of us now
survive poverty.
Diphtheria, pneumonia, smallpox, accidents, hunger, poor
nutrition, tuberculosis, infections, polio, and chronic diseases like